A FACEBOOK campaign has launched to try and get Worcestershire County Council to look again at the revamped Whittington Island - with angry drivers calling it "dangerous".

Since its launch last Friday, a new online petition to get the south Worcester roundabout revisited has already gained 294 signatures - while streams of motorists have used the Facebook page to leave comments criticising its layout.

Back in 2012 the council spent £1.3 million revamping the island, with a new slip road created for drivers leaving Junction 7 of the M5 to head left towards Norton.

The slip access means drivers have to abruptly halt and look over their right shoulder to give away first, leading to complaints about safety.

St John's-based campaigner Lisa Ventura has set up the fresh campaign after witnessing what she calls "another near miss" at the island last Thursday. She said: "We were coming back from Bromsgrove and got off the M5 at Junction 7.

"We were in the far left lane to go home towards Powick and someone turned left from the wrong lane, caused another car to brake and the vehicle behind them to brake hard to avoid hitting them from behind.

"It was so close. "

She added: "The road is not fit for purpose and needs reviewing urgently by Worcestershire County Council before a more serious accident happens and lives are lost."

The Facebook page had been 'liked' 156 times up to yesterday, with drivers calling it "poorly designed" and some saying they refuse to use the left turn slip lane.

The county council has insisted the investment was worth it, saying it is part of plans to part-dual the A4440 Southern Link Road by 2019 to ease congestion.

As part of that work, which is subject to private sector funding, within five years the slip lane will turn into a new access route all the way to Norton island that does not require drivers to stop and look right.

The £1.3 million revamp was deliberately designed in the expectation the dualling will take place.

Councillor Simon Geraghty, deputy leader and cabinet member for economy, skills and infrastructure, said: "We've got an overall plan to dual the Southern Link Road and once we've finished that stretch from Whittington island to Norton roundabout, and then this problem will resolve itself.

"There will be a proper slip road that runs all the way down that route, so this issue will right itself, it's just that we cannot do it right at this moment."

A bid has also been made to the Government for £63 million to dual Carrington Bridge, being led by Worcestershire's Local Enterprise Partnership

Councillor Simon Geraghty, deputy leader and cabinet member for economy, skills and infrastructure, said: "We've got an overall plan to dual the Southern Link Road and once we've finished that stretch from Whittington island to Norton roundabout, and then this problem will resolve itself.

"There will be a proper slip road that runs all the way down that route, so this issue will right itself, it's just that we cannot do it right at this moment."

WE can quote him on this then, The Highways department have already wasted money on the Whittington end by making thios roundabout more dangeroues than it was before so why would anypone believe whats being said now???
Councillor Simon Geraghty, god help us all, what a waste of space he is,

Councillor Simon Geraghty, deputy leader and cabinet member for economy, skills and infrastructure, said: "We've got an overall plan to dual the Southern Link Road and once we've finished that stretch from Whittington island to Norton roundabout, and then this problem will resolve itself.
"There will be a proper slip road that runs all the way down that route, so this issue will right itself, it's just that we cannot do it right at this moment."
WE can quote him on this then, The Highways department have already wasted money on the Whittington end by making thios roundabout more dangeroues than it was before so why would anypone believe whats being said now???
Councillor Simon Geraghty, god help us all, what a waste of space he is,green49

This roundabout is one but a number of failed road designs that have resulted from the highway department's incompetence, and yet despite their misguided insistence that it's safe and well designs, we are all acutely aware that this is far from the case.

Since it opened in 2012, there have been many accidents, yet the highways department continue to say there's nothing wrong and brush all concerns under the carpet. They also say there have been minimal reported accidents, but what about those that have been reported? But then, for the highways department they got it wrong would be like turkeys voting for Christmas.

I'm glad this Facebook petition exists while it seems that finally people are making a stand against the constant ineptitude emanating from the council's highways staff. Remember, the Whittington roundabout is the not the only c*ck-up they've done which has not only made roads worse, but also less safe. In addition to this petition, those highways staff culpable should be named and shamed on Facebook, while calls for their resignations need to be made too. There is no room in local government for people who are not only incompetent and waste valuable tax-payer's money, but also deliberately putting people's lives at risk.

And remember, there's also another Facebook page regarding the ability of the highways department where people can leave comments etc. I believe the page can be found at

This roundabout is one but a number of failed road designs that have resulted from the highway department's incompetence, and yet despite their misguided insistence that it's safe and well designs, we are all acutely aware that this is far from the case.
Since it opened in 2012, there have been many accidents, yet the highways department continue to say there's nothing wrong and brush all concerns under the carpet. They also say there have been minimal reported accidents, but what about those that have been reported? But then, for the highways department they got it wrong would be like turkeys voting for Christmas.
I'm glad this Facebook petition exists while it seems that finally people are making a stand against the constant ineptitude emanating from the council's highways staff. Remember, the Whittington roundabout is the not the only c*ck-up they've done which has not only made roads worse, but also less safe. In addition to this petition, those highways staff culpable should be named and shamed on Facebook, while calls for their resignations need to be made too. There is no room in local government for people who are not only incompetent and waste valuable tax-payer's money, but also deliberately putting people's lives at risk.
And remember, there's also another Facebook page regarding the ability of the highways department where people can leave comments etc. I believe the page can be found at
https://www.facebook
.com/pages/Worcester
shire-County-Council
-highways-department
-good-or-bad/2485395
85331808WilkoJ

How about campaigning to speed up the work to make it 2 lanes all the way down the hill?
Thats the solution, and thats what they seem to be working towards - just a lot longer than ideal. I'm pretty sure that I read the railway bridge on the hill would be widened as part of the existing works - so assuming I am correct thats the main stumbling block to completing the 2 lanes
Just moaning its broke will distract from what they should be doing and possibly result in another botched temporary solution like when people didnt like the first (safer) effort they made.

How about campaigning to speed up the work to make it 2 lanes all the way down the hill?
Thats the solution, and thats what they seem to be working towards - just a lot longer than ideal. I'm pretty sure that I read the railway bridge on the hill would be widened as part of the existing works - so assuming I am correct thats the main stumbling block to completing the 2 lanes
Just moaning its broke will distract from what they should be doing and possibly result in another botched temporary solution like when people didnt like the first (safer) effort they made.MrWXYZ

WilkoJ wrote:
This roundabout is one but a number of failed road designs that have resulted from the highway department's incompetence, and yet despite their misguided insistence that it's safe and well designs, we are all acutely aware that this is far from the case.

Since it opened in 2012, there have been many accidents, yet the highways department continue to say there's nothing wrong and brush all concerns under the carpet. They also say there have been minimal reported accidents, but what about those that have been reported? But then, for the highways department they got it wrong would be like turkeys voting for Christmas.

I'm glad this Facebook petition exists while it seems that finally people are making a stand against the constant ineptitude emanating from the council's highways staff. Remember, the Whittington roundabout is the not the only c*ck-up they've done which has not only made roads worse, but also less safe. In addition to this petition, those highways staff culpable should be named and shamed on Facebook, while calls for their resignations need to be made too. There is no room in local government for people who are not only incompetent and waste valuable tax-payer's money, but also deliberately putting people's lives at risk.

And remember, there's also another Facebook page regarding the ability of the highways department where people can leave comments etc. I believe the page can be found at

https://www.facebook

.com/pages/Worcester

shire-County-Council

-highways-department

-good-or-bad/2485395

85331808

Well said and I'd also encourage people to make comments on both these Facebook pages. The highways department cannot continue to be able to get away with wasting money, making roads unsafe and delivering misguided and flawed schemes, all because of their sheer incompetence.

[quote][p][bold]WilkoJ[/bold] wrote:
This roundabout is one but a number of failed road designs that have resulted from the highway department's incompetence, and yet despite their misguided insistence that it's safe and well designs, we are all acutely aware that this is far from the case.
Since it opened in 2012, there have been many accidents, yet the highways department continue to say there's nothing wrong and brush all concerns under the carpet. They also say there have been minimal reported accidents, but what about those that have been reported? But then, for the highways department they got it wrong would be like turkeys voting for Christmas.
I'm glad this Facebook petition exists while it seems that finally people are making a stand against the constant ineptitude emanating from the council's highways staff. Remember, the Whittington roundabout is the not the only c*ck-up they've done which has not only made roads worse, but also less safe. In addition to this petition, those highways staff culpable should be named and shamed on Facebook, while calls for their resignations need to be made too. There is no room in local government for people who are not only incompetent and waste valuable tax-payer's money, but also deliberately putting people's lives at risk.
And remember, there's also another Facebook page regarding the ability of the highways department where people can leave comments etc. I believe the page can be found at
https://www.facebook
.com/pages/Worcester
shire-County-Council
-highways-department
-good-or-bad/2485395
85331808[/p][/quote]Well said and I'd also encourage people to make comments on both these Facebook pages. The highways department cannot continue to be able to get away with wasting money, making roads unsafe and delivering misguided and flawed schemes, all because of their sheer incompetence.Redhillman

Seems like it would have been safer to have worked on the Whittington roundabout as the last part of the project rather than the first part.
Until the dualling is completed all the way, drivers using the slip lane will be at risk from the morons who come around the roundabout at racing speeds or turn left from the wrong lane.

Seems like it would have been safer to have worked on the Whittington roundabout as the last part of the project rather than the first part.
Until the dualling is completed all the way, drivers using the slip lane will be at risk from the morons who come around the roundabout at racing speeds or turn left from the wrong lane.Doogie 46

The development of the Whittington Island has eliminated the previously long and costly queues that routinely would lead from the St Peter's Island up towards the motorway. These alterations, taking traffic off towards London Road on the free flow-slip benefit me and thousands of others every day, I personally now leave home 20 mins later than I used to, those who drove through this change should be commended.

Others will benefit in spring 2015 when the work on the Ketch Island is complete. Here, and what all the armchair commentators fail to understand, the doubling the size of the island will allow those heading across the river significantly more time between vehicles to enter the traffic flow. Couple this with the introduction of the free-flow slip to take traffic from the Bath Rd towards Whittington and those heading across the river will experience huge gains. Those heading towards Kempsey from the M5 will also be taken from the main East / West flow meaning winners all round.

So, stop jumping on your soapboxes with your accusatory and rude tones, and start seeing the changes for good and the positive efforts of those involved with improving our facilities, dragging what was a small one horse town into a properly thriving and attractive city.

The development of the Whittington Island has eliminated the previously long and costly queues that routinely would lead from the St Peter's Island up towards the motorway. These alterations, taking traffic off towards London Road on the free flow-slip benefit me and thousands of others every day, I personally now leave home 20 mins later than I used to, those who drove through this change should be commended.
Others will benefit in spring 2015 when the work on the Ketch Island is complete. Here, and what all the armchair commentators fail to understand, the doubling the size of the island will allow those heading across the river significantly more time between vehicles to enter the traffic flow. Couple this with the introduction of the free-flow slip to take traffic from the Bath Rd towards Whittington and those heading across the river will experience huge gains. Those heading towards Kempsey from the M5 will also be taken from the main East / West flow meaning winners all round.
So, stop jumping on your soapboxes with your accusatory and rude tones, and start seeing the changes for good and the positive efforts of those involved with improving our facilities, dragging what was a small one horse town into a properly thriving and attractive city.Small Town

One of the problems at Whittington is people coming off junction 7 proposing to go left but not getting in the right lane then they cut traffic up trying to jump the queue. This happens everyday, every hour so this doesn't help matters. It happened to me but I was lucky as I guessed what the idiot was going to do. And when I blasted my horn I had abuse. Also going down the bank where it goes into two lanes which I understand one is for going right to St. Peter's .Not to some idiots they use it as a overtaking lane so when u get to the roundabout they are trying to cut u up by pushing in front of u. So what ver is done it will not work with idiots on the road

One of the problems at Whittington is people coming off junction 7 proposing to go left but not getting in the right lane then they cut traffic up trying to jump the queue. This happens everyday, every hour so this doesn't help matters. It happened to me but I was lucky as I guessed what the idiot was going to do. And when I blasted my horn I had abuse. Also going down the bank where it goes into two lanes which I understand one is for going right to St. Peter's .Not to some idiots they use it as a overtaking lane so when u get to the roundabout they are trying to cut u up by pushing in front of u. So what ver is done it will not work with idiots on the roadcitykid

Since we read that the problems are caused not by Geragthy and the CONservatives, but bad, inconsiderant,, inflexible (when it comes to filtering) drivers. Let's just control these idiots by ON DEMAD Traffic Lights. Wherever thes are in use they are absolutely brilliant. So with continuous lines when there are established lanes JOB DONE for a lot less than the extra £Millions Geraghty is continually throwing at his flawed traffic scheme.

Since we read that the problems are caused not by Geragthy and the CONservatives, but bad, inconsiderant,, inflexible (when it comes to filtering) drivers. Let's just control these idiots by ON DEMAD Traffic Lights. Wherever thes are in use they are absolutely brilliant. So with continuous lines when there are established lanes JOB DONE for a lot less than the extra £Millions Geraghty is continually throwing at his flawed traffic scheme.Jabbadad

Citykid is exactly right with what he says, also the i have seen coaches overtake down to the St peters island and cut in very aggresively back to get into the lane to get to the ketch end, yes its drivers but the Highways need to put direction arrows on the road, also making the islands bigger and dual track the roads, no point when it all goes back into 2 lanes on the Carrington bridge,

smalltown i havent seen any ease in traffic from whittington down the London road nor the other way in fact its worse, ive lived in this area for 30 years its got worse NOT better.

Citykid is exactly right with what he says, also the i have seen coaches overtake down to the St peters island and cut in very aggresively back to get into the lane to get to the ketch end, yes its drivers but the Highways need to put direction arrows on the road, also making the islands bigger and dual track the roads, no point when it all goes back into 2 lanes on the Carrington bridge,
smalltown i havent seen any ease in traffic from whittington down the London road nor the other way in fact its worse, ive lived in this area for 30 years its got worse NOT better.green49

green49 wrote:
Citykid is exactly right with what he says, also the i have seen coaches overtake down to the St peters island and cut in very aggresively back to get into the lane to get to the ketch end, yes its drivers but the Highways need to put direction arrows on the road, also making the islands bigger and dual track the roads, no point when it all goes back into 2 lanes on the Carrington bridge,

smalltown i havent seen any ease in traffic from whittington down the London road nor the other way in fact its worse, ive lived in this area for 30 years its got worse NOT better.

I've just come back home to St Peters a few minutes ago, and yes, got cut up again by some d*ck who decided to overtake then cut back into the lane for Malvern. He didn't even indicate! I agree arrows need to be put on the road so those of us genuinely going to St Peters at least have a fighting chance. Would it be so difficult for Highways to have the balls to do this? It's not rocket science is it? The traffic (or is it the drivers?) is much worse than it used to be and I've been going up and down that road since it was built.

[quote][p][bold]green49[/bold] wrote:
Citykid is exactly right with what he says, also the i have seen coaches overtake down to the St peters island and cut in very aggresively back to get into the lane to get to the ketch end, yes its drivers but the Highways need to put direction arrows on the road, also making the islands bigger and dual track the roads, no point when it all goes back into 2 lanes on the Carrington bridge,
smalltown i havent seen any ease in traffic from whittington down the London road nor the other way in fact its worse, ive lived in this area for 30 years its got worse NOT better.[/p][/quote]I've just come back home to St Peters a few minutes ago, and yes, got cut up again by some d*ck who decided to overtake then cut back into the lane for Malvern. He didn't even indicate! I agree arrows need to be put on the road so those of us genuinely going to St Peters at least have a fighting chance. Would it be so difficult for Highways to have the balls to do this? It's not rocket science is it? The traffic (or is it the drivers?) is much worse than it used to be and I've been going up and down that road since it was built.CJH

I agree on the signs. But we know they won't do it as they don't have turn right arrrows on roundabouts now in worcester - all straight ahead arrows. Reason given was not wanting to confuse overseas drivers when issue was raised a while ago - as apparently they might try and drive the wrong way around the roundabout?!?! Which is why there have been problems with people driving into Whittington village trying to reach the M5.
Having said that most people cutting in know full well what they are doing so the arrows wouldn't make much difference.
I agree with smalltown though, traffic flow has improved overall. Still has its moments, and both whittington and st peters roundabouts go into meltdown once the traffic reaches a certain level as people clog up the wrong lanes to push through quicker

I agree on the signs. But we know they won't do it as they don't have turn right arrrows on roundabouts now in worcester - all straight ahead arrows. Reason given was not wanting to confuse overseas drivers when issue was raised a while ago - as apparently they might try and drive the wrong way around the roundabout?!?! Which is why there have been problems with people driving into Whittington village trying to reach the M5.
Having said that most people cutting in know full well what they are doing so the arrows wouldn't make much difference.
I agree with smalltown though, traffic flow has improved overall. Still has its moments, and both whittington and st peters roundabouts go into meltdown once the traffic reaches a certain level as people clog up the wrong lanes to push through quickerMrWXYZ

err, you only have to stop if you haven't looked into the roundabout as you approach. It's basic driving technique - planning ahead. It's not the driver. If people cannot think ahead maybe they shouldn't be on the road???

err, you only have to stop if you haven't looked into the roundabout as you approach. It's basic driving technique - planning ahead. It's not the driver. If people cannot think ahead maybe they shouldn't be on the road???malverncyclist

Whilst any danger at this junction is only caused by incompetant drivers, fundamentally this slip road feature offers no benefit whatsoever.

I can't help but think that if this were Germany, the whole ring road would be properly dualled AND complete (with a north west quadrant) years ago.

Whilst any danger at this junction is only caused by incompetant drivers, fundamentally this slip road feature offers no benefit whatsoever.
I can't help but think that if this were Germany, the whole ring road would be properly dualled AND complete (with a north west quadrant) years ago.Tobster

Small Town wrote:
"Others will benefit in spring 2015 when the work on the Ketch Island is complete. Here, and what all the armchair commentators fail to understand, the doubling the size of the island will allow those heading across the river significantly more time between vehicles to enter the traffic flow."

..and join the back of the queue quicker (probably on the island) because in both directions the road narrows to a single lane either immediately at the bridge or halfway to Norton island. That won't be fixed until years later.

"Couple this with the introduction of the free-flow slip to take traffic from the Bath Rd towards Whittington and those heading across the river will experience huge gains. "

Could you just provide a link to the plans for this slip road, please? It's not on the consultation plans and I can't find it anywhere. Of course, I'm just an armchair commentator like you, Small Town.

Small Town wrote:
"Others will benefit in spring 2015 when the work on the Ketch Island is complete. Here, and what all the armchair commentators fail to understand, the doubling the size of the island will allow those heading across the river significantly more time between vehicles to enter the traffic flow."
..and join the back of the queue quicker (probably on the island) because in both directions the road narrows to a single lane either immediately at the bridge or halfway to Norton island. That won't be fixed until years later.
"Couple this with the introduction of the free-flow slip to take traffic from the Bath Rd towards Whittington and those heading across the river will experience huge gains. "
Could you just provide a link to the plans for this slip road, please? It's not on the consultation plans and I can't find it anywhere. Of course, I'm just an armchair commentator like you, Small Town.I'm_not_bitter

"We were in the far left lane to go home towards Powick and someone turned left from the wrong lane, caused another car to brake and the vehicle behind them to brake hard to avoid hitting them from behind. ......its idiotic drivers who think it's quicker to go up to island then turn left towards the ketch rather than get into the left filter lane see it so many times

"We were in the far left lane to go home towards Powick and someone turned left from the wrong lane, caused another car to brake and the vehicle behind them to brake hard to avoid hitting them from behind. ......its idiotic drivers who think it's quicker to go up to island then turn left towards the ketch rather than get into the left filter lane see it so many timesredtail

MrWXYZ wrote:
I agree on the signs. But we know they won't do it as they don't have turn right arrrows on roundabouts now in worcester - all straight ahead arrows. Reason given was not wanting to confuse overseas drivers when issue was raised a while ago - as apparently they might try and drive the wrong way around the roundabout?!?! Which is why there have been problems with people driving into Whittington village trying to reach the M5.
Having said that most people cutting in know full well what they are doing so the arrows wouldn't make much difference.
I agree with smalltown though, traffic flow has improved overall. Still has its moments, and both whittington and st peters roundabouts go into meltdown once the traffic reaches a certain level as people clog up the wrong lanes to push through quicker

FFS. We can't even paint our own white lines in the way we want any more through fear of a foreign driver misinterpreting them. I wonder if other countries change their ways just to cater for us brits? Besides, the arrows don't have to be 90 degree arrows.. How about a rounded arrow to denote a "roundabout" that point right (or left)? Having them straight on is just confusing for people. So what if one day I approach a roundabout with arrows for a motorway or city that is actually straight on, and the arrows do indeed point straight on. Do I turn right ?? !!

[quote][p][bold]MrWXYZ[/bold] wrote:
I agree on the signs. But we know they won't do it as they don't have turn right arrrows on roundabouts now in worcester - all straight ahead arrows. Reason given was not wanting to confuse overseas drivers when issue was raised a while ago - as apparently they might try and drive the wrong way around the roundabout?!?! Which is why there have been problems with people driving into Whittington village trying to reach the M5.
Having said that most people cutting in know full well what they are doing so the arrows wouldn't make much difference.
I agree with smalltown though, traffic flow has improved overall. Still has its moments, and both whittington and st peters roundabouts go into meltdown once the traffic reaches a certain level as people clog up the wrong lanes to push through quicker[/p][/quote]FFS. We can't even paint our own white lines in the way we want any more through fear of a foreign driver misinterpreting them. I wonder if other countries change their ways just to cater for us brits? Besides, the arrows don't have to be 90 degree arrows.. How about a rounded arrow to denote a "roundabout" that point right (or left)? Having them straight on is just confusing for people. So what if one day I approach a roundabout with arrows for a motorway or city that is actually straight on, and the arrows do indeed point straight on. Do I turn right ?? !!Dirty-Belcher

MrWXYZ wrote:
I agree on the signs. But we know they won't do it as they don't have turn right arrrows on roundabouts now in worcester - all straight ahead arrows. Reason given was not wanting to confuse overseas drivers when issue was raised a while ago - as apparently they might try and drive the wrong way around the roundabout?!?! Which is why there have been problems with people driving into Whittington village trying to reach the M5.
Having said that most people cutting in know full well what they are doing so the arrows wouldn't make much difference.
I agree with smalltown though, traffic flow has improved overall. Still has its moments, and both whittington and st peters roundabouts go into meltdown once the traffic reaches a certain level as people clog up the wrong lanes to push through quicker

FFS. We can't even paint our own white lines in the way we want any more through fear of a foreign driver misinterpreting them. I wonder if other countries change their ways just to cater for us brits? Besides, the arrows don't have to be 90 degree arrows.. How about a rounded arrow to denote a &quot;roundabout" that point right (or left)? Having them straight on is just confusing for people. So what if one day I approach a roundabout with arrows for a motorway or city that is actually straight on, and the arrows do indeed point straight on. Do I turn right ?? !!

The arrow issue on Newtown Road was caused by our inept County Council Highways Department and not any Government policy.

[quote][p][bold]Dirty-Belcher[/bold] wrote:
[quote][p][bold]MrWXYZ[/bold] wrote:
I agree on the signs. But we know they won't do it as they don't have turn right arrrows on roundabouts now in worcester - all straight ahead arrows. Reason given was not wanting to confuse overseas drivers when issue was raised a while ago - as apparently they might try and drive the wrong way around the roundabout?!?! Which is why there have been problems with people driving into Whittington village trying to reach the M5.
Having said that most people cutting in know full well what they are doing so the arrows wouldn't make much difference.
I agree with smalltown though, traffic flow has improved overall. Still has its moments, and both whittington and st peters roundabouts go into meltdown once the traffic reaches a certain level as people clog up the wrong lanes to push through quicker[/p][/quote]FFS. We can't even paint our own white lines in the way we want any more through fear of a foreign driver misinterpreting them. I wonder if other countries change their ways just to cater for us brits? Besides, the arrows don't have to be 90 degree arrows.. How about a rounded arrow to denote a "roundabout" that point right (or left)? Having them straight on is just confusing for people. So what if one day I approach a roundabout with arrows for a motorway or city that is actually straight on, and the arrows do indeed point straight on. Do I turn right ?? !![/p][/quote]The arrow issue on Newtown Road was caused by our inept County Council Highways Department and not any Government policy.brooksider

Dirty-Belcher, what a brilliant idea yet so simple and it's been staring us in the face. To have round or Curved Arrows is just brilliant, whether they would conform to the dreaded EU standards I don't know, or if our Highways department led by Coun John Smith could understand this idea I wonder?
I think I recall some traffic island arrows somewhere looking as the traffic islands are normally round, to be curved.

Dirty-Belcher, what a brilliant idea yet so simple and it's been staring us in the face. To have round or Curved Arrows is just brilliant, whether they would conform to the dreaded EU standards I don't know, or if our Highways department led by Coun John Smith could understand this idea I wonder?
I think I recall some traffic island arrows somewhere looking as the traffic islands are normally round, to be curved.Jabbadad

MrWXYZ wrote:
I agree on the signs. But we know they won't do it as they don't have turn right arrrows on roundabouts now in worcester - all straight ahead arrows. Reason given was not wanting to confuse overseas drivers when issue was raised a while ago - as apparently they might try and drive the wrong way around the roundabout?!?! Which is why there have been problems with people driving into Whittington village trying to reach the M5.
Having said that most people cutting in know full well what they are doing so the arrows wouldn't make much difference.
I agree with smalltown though, traffic flow has improved overall. Still has its moments, and both whittington and st peters roundabouts go into meltdown once the traffic reaches a certain level as people clog up the wrong lanes to push through quicker

FFS. We can't even paint our own white lines in the way we want any more through fear of a foreign driver misinterpreting them. I wonder if other countries change their ways just to cater for us brits? Besides, the arrows don't have to be 90 degree arrows.. How about a rounded arrow to denote a &quot;roundabout" that point right (or left)? Having them straight on is just confusing for people. So what if one day I approach a roundabout with arrows for a motorway or city that is actually straight on, and the arrows do indeed point straight on. Do I turn right ?? !!

The arrow issue on Newtown Road was caused by our inept County Council Highways Department and not any Government policy.

Was it? I believe the arrow to the hospital initially pointed right quite correctly (in my view) as you're turning right.

EU Policy dictated it had to be removed as foreign drivers would interpret it as a right turn and attempt to turn right without going around the island.

The Highways department then replaced it with a non-nonsensical straight ahead arrow, for a right turn, and then eventually removed the arrow altogether leaving "Hosp"

So the issue was actually caused by both of them.

[quote][p][bold]brooksider[/bold] wrote:
[quote][p][bold]Dirty-Belcher[/bold] wrote:
[quote][p][bold]MrWXYZ[/bold] wrote:
I agree on the signs. But we know they won't do it as they don't have turn right arrrows on roundabouts now in worcester - all straight ahead arrows. Reason given was not wanting to confuse overseas drivers when issue was raised a while ago - as apparently they might try and drive the wrong way around the roundabout?!?! Which is why there have been problems with people driving into Whittington village trying to reach the M5.
Having said that most people cutting in know full well what they are doing so the arrows wouldn't make much difference.
I agree with smalltown though, traffic flow has improved overall. Still has its moments, and both whittington and st peters roundabouts go into meltdown once the traffic reaches a certain level as people clog up the wrong lanes to push through quicker[/p][/quote]FFS. We can't even paint our own white lines in the way we want any more through fear of a foreign driver misinterpreting them. I wonder if other countries change their ways just to cater for us brits? Besides, the arrows don't have to be 90 degree arrows.. How about a rounded arrow to denote a "roundabout" that point right (or left)? Having them straight on is just confusing for people. So what if one day I approach a roundabout with arrows for a motorway or city that is actually straight on, and the arrows do indeed point straight on. Do I turn right ?? !![/p][/quote]The arrow issue on Newtown Road was caused by our inept County Council Highways Department and not any Government policy.[/p][/quote]Was it? I believe the arrow to the hospital initially pointed right quite correctly (in my view) as you're turning right.
EU Policy dictated it had to be removed as foreign drivers would interpret it as a right turn and attempt to turn right without going around the island.
The Highways department then replaced it with a non-nonsensical straight ahead arrow, for a right turn, and then eventually removed the arrow altogether leaving "Hosp"
So the issue was actually caused by both of them.DarrenM

MrWXYZ wrote:
I agree on the signs. But we know they won't do it as they don't have turn right arrrows on roundabouts now in worcester - all straight ahead arrows. Reason given was not wanting to confuse overseas drivers when issue was raised a while ago - as apparently they might try and drive the wrong way around the roundabout?!?! Which is why there have been problems with people driving into Whittington village trying to reach the M5.
Having said that most people cutting in know full well what they are doing so the arrows wouldn't make much difference.
I agree with smalltown though, traffic flow has improved overall. Still has its moments, and both whittington and st peters roundabouts go into meltdown once the traffic reaches a certain level as people clog up the wrong lanes to push through quicker

FFS. We can't even paint our own white lines in the way we want any more through fear of a foreign driver misinterpreting them. I wonder if other countries change their ways just to cater for us brits? Besides, the arrows don't have to be 90 degree arrows.. How about a rounded arrow to denote a &quot;roundabout" that point right (or left)? Having them straight on is just confusing for people. So what if one day I approach a roundabout with arrows for a motorway or city that is actually straight on, and the arrows do indeed point straight on. Do I turn right ?? !!

The arrow issue on Newtown Road was caused by our inept County Council Highways Department and not any Government policy.

Was it? I believe the arrow to the hospital initially pointed right quite correctly (in my view) as you're turning right.

EU Policy dictated it had to be removed as foreign drivers would interpret it as a right turn and attempt to turn right without going around the island.

The Highways department then replaced it with a non-nonsensical straight ahead arrow, for a right turn, and then eventually removed the arrow altogether leaving "Hosp"

So the issue was actually caused by both of them.

So it was like this I guess, for those who don't understand the concept of 'human error'...

[quote][p][bold]DarrenM[/bold] wrote:
[quote][p][bold]brooksider[/bold] wrote:
[quote][p][bold]Dirty-Belcher[/bold] wrote:
[quote][p][bold]MrWXYZ[/bold] wrote:
I agree on the signs. But we know they won't do it as they don't have turn right arrrows on roundabouts now in worcester - all straight ahead arrows. Reason given was not wanting to confuse overseas drivers when issue was raised a while ago - as apparently they might try and drive the wrong way around the roundabout?!?! Which is why there have been problems with people driving into Whittington village trying to reach the M5.
Having said that most people cutting in know full well what they are doing so the arrows wouldn't make much difference.
I agree with smalltown though, traffic flow has improved overall. Still has its moments, and both whittington and st peters roundabouts go into meltdown once the traffic reaches a certain level as people clog up the wrong lanes to push through quicker[/p][/quote]FFS. We can't even paint our own white lines in the way we want any more through fear of a foreign driver misinterpreting them. I wonder if other countries change their ways just to cater for us brits? Besides, the arrows don't have to be 90 degree arrows.. How about a rounded arrow to denote a "roundabout" that point right (or left)? Having them straight on is just confusing for people. So what if one day I approach a roundabout with arrows for a motorway or city that is actually straight on, and the arrows do indeed point straight on. Do I turn right ?? !![/p][/quote]The arrow issue on Newtown Road was caused by our inept County Council Highways Department and not any Government policy.[/p][/quote]Was it? I believe the arrow to the hospital initially pointed right quite correctly (in my view) as you're turning right.
EU Policy dictated it had to be removed as foreign drivers would interpret it as a right turn and attempt to turn right without going around the island.
The Highways department then replaced it with a non-nonsensical straight ahead arrow, for a right turn, and then eventually removed the arrow altogether leaving "Hosp"
So the issue was actually caused by both of them.[/p][/quote]So it was like this I guess, for those who don't understand the concept of 'human error'...
http://www.standard.
co.uk/news/london/co
uncil-contractors-pa
int-roundabout-in-no
rth-london-with-arro
ws-pointing-wrong-wa
y-9245806.htmlSmall Town

Last night (29 May) I used the filter lane off the Whittington island only to have to do an emergency stop due to one inconsiderate idiot turning left from the inside lane. The diver knew exactly what they were doing as they clearly lived on St. Peters. No signals just darted down the inside lane to save a few seconds and potentially cause an accident.

Later in the evening I returned from a trip to Cheltenham and the filter lane was closed for the evening, so much easier and safer to drive up to the island and use the original lanes.

Close the filter lane until such time we have the dual carriageway all the way to the island.

As for the signage and road markings on the roundabouts, what a confusing mess.

Last night (29 May) I used the filter lane off the Whittington island only to have to do an emergency stop due to one inconsiderate idiot turning left from the inside lane. The diver knew exactly what they were doing as they clearly lived on St. Peters. No signals just darted down the inside lane to save a few seconds and potentially cause an accident.
Later in the evening I returned from a trip to Cheltenham and the filter lane was closed for the evening, so much easier and safer to drive up to the island and use the original lanes.
Close the filter lane until such time we have the dual carriageway all the way to the island.
As for the signage and road markings on the roundabouts, what a confusing mess.Mr Nom de Plume

WilkoJ wrote:
This roundabout is one but a number of failed road designs that have resulted from the highway department's incompetence, and yet despite their misguided insistence that it's safe and well designs, we are all acutely aware that this is far from the case.

Since it opened in 2012, there have been many accidents, yet the highways department continue to say there's nothing wrong and brush all concerns under the carpet. They also say there have been minimal reported accidents, but what about those that have been reported? But then, for the highways department they got it wrong would be like turkeys voting for Christmas.

I'm glad this Facebook petition exists while it seems that finally people are making a stand against the constant ineptitude emanating from the council's highways staff. Remember, the Whittington roundabout is the not the only c*ck-up they've done which has not only made roads worse, but also less safe. In addition to this petition, those highways staff culpable should be named and shamed on Facebook, while calls for their resignations need to be made too. There is no room in local government for people who are not only incompetent and waste valuable tax-payer's money, but also deliberately putting people's lives at risk.

And remember, there's also another Facebook page regarding the ability of the highways department where people can leave comments etc. I believe the page can be found at

https://www.facebook

.com/pages/Worcester

shire-County-Council

-highways-department

-good-or-bad/2485395

85331808

WilkoJ criticises the Highways Department for not being aware of accidents that have not been reported to them. I know they're Highways, but I'm not sure they're psychic.

If the slip road had been built but not used, everyone would have complained it was a waste of money.

No one needs right turn arrows on a roundabout. As is standard across the country, you have a sign ahead of the roundabout indicating which lane to be in to go in which direction.

Most of the comments are about careless & dangerous driving, not about road design. If "someone cut in front of me and I had to brake" is the best you can come up with, I think you need to look for some other problems to complain about.

[quote][p][bold]WilkoJ[/bold] wrote:
This roundabout is one but a number of failed road designs that have resulted from the highway department's incompetence, and yet despite their misguided insistence that it's safe and well designs, we are all acutely aware that this is far from the case.
Since it opened in 2012, there have been many accidents, yet the highways department continue to say there's nothing wrong and brush all concerns under the carpet. They also say there have been minimal reported accidents, but what about those that have been reported? But then, for the highways department they got it wrong would be like turkeys voting for Christmas.
I'm glad this Facebook petition exists while it seems that finally people are making a stand against the constant ineptitude emanating from the council's highways staff. Remember, the Whittington roundabout is the not the only c*ck-up they've done which has not only made roads worse, but also less safe. In addition to this petition, those highways staff culpable should be named and shamed on Facebook, while calls for their resignations need to be made too. There is no room in local government for people who are not only incompetent and waste valuable tax-payer's money, but also deliberately putting people's lives at risk.
And remember, there's also another Facebook page regarding the ability of the highways department where people can leave comments etc. I believe the page can be found at
https://www.facebook
.com/pages/Worcester
shire-County-Council
-highways-department
-good-or-bad/2485395
85331808[/p][/quote]WilkoJ criticises the Highways Department for not being aware of accidents that have not been reported to them. I know they're Highways, but I'm not sure they're psychic.
If the slip road had been built but not used, everyone would have complained it was a waste of money.
No one needs right turn arrows on a roundabout. As is standard across the country, you have a sign ahead of the roundabout indicating which lane to be in to go in which direction.
Most of the comments are about careless & dangerous driving, not about road design. If "someone cut in front of me and I had to brake" is the best you can come up with, I think you need to look for some other problems to complain about.Slobbin

"No one needs right turn arrows on a roundabout. As is standard across the country, you have a sign ahead of the roundabout indicating which lane to be in to go in which direction."

So by your own logic then you need a right turn arrow to tell you which lane to be in to turn right

"No one needs right turn arrows on a roundabout. As is standard across the country, you have a sign ahead of the roundabout indicating which lane to be in to go in which direction."
So by your own logic then you need a right turn arrow to tell you which lane to be in to turn rightMrWXYZ

MrWXYZ wrote:
&quot;No one needs right turn arrows on a roundabout. As is standard across the country, you have a sign ahead of the roundabout indicating which lane to be in to go in which direction."

So by your own logic then you need a right turn arrow to tell you which lane to be in to turn right

In which case, does it even need arrows then (talking straight on ones) but something like and . At the end of the day, if a driver not of this country needs clarification of which way to go round a roundabout, they shouldn't be driving over here putting other people at risk.

[quote][p][bold]MrWXYZ[/bold] wrote:
"No one needs right turn arrows on a roundabout. As is standard across the country, you have a sign ahead of the roundabout indicating which lane to be in to go in which direction."
So by your own logic then you need a right turn arrow to tell you which lane to be in to turn right[/p][/quote]In which case, does it even need arrows then (talking straight on ones) but something like [M5 N] and [M5 S]. At the end of the day, if a driver not of this country needs clarification of which way to go round a roundabout, they shouldn't be driving over here putting other people at risk.Dirty-Belcher

In which case, does it even need arrows then (talking straight on ones) but something like "M5 N" and "M5 S" . At the end of the day, if a driver not of this country needs clarification of which way to go round a roundabout, they shouldn't be driving over here putting other people at risk.

Sorry. My square brackets got ignored. This is what I said:
In which case, does it even need arrows then (talking straight on ones) but something like "M5 N" and "M5 S" . At the end of the day, if a driver not of this country needs clarification of which way to go round a roundabout, they shouldn't be driving over here putting other people at risk.Dirty-Belcher

Dirty-Belcher wrote:
Sorry. My square brackets got ignored. This is what I said: In which case, does it even need arrows then (talking straight on ones) but something like &quot;M5 N" and "M5 S" . At the end of the day, if a driver not of this country needs clarification of which way to go round a roundabout, they shouldn't be driving over here putting other people at risk.

I agree entirely on M5N and M5S - might help reduce the people who navigate the roundabout as if the lanes never changed, so turn right from the right hand lane to go north on the M5 and will run people off the road if using the correct lane.

Correct use of arrows would surely help people not from the area though. The left filter lane for london road, straight ahead and right for M5N and right for M5S. Likewise going down the hill left and straight over arrows in left hand lane, right arrow only for st peters in right hand lane.

[quote][p][bold]Dirty-Belcher[/bold] wrote:
Sorry. My square brackets got ignored. This is what I said: In which case, does it even need arrows then (talking straight on ones) but something like "M5 N" and "M5 S" . At the end of the day, if a driver not of this country needs clarification of which way to go round a roundabout, they shouldn't be driving over here putting other people at risk.[/p][/quote]I agree entirely on M5N and M5S - might help reduce the people who navigate the roundabout as if the lanes never changed, so turn right from the right hand lane to go north on the M5 and will run people off the road if using the correct lane.
Correct use of arrows would surely help people not from the area though. The left filter lane for london road, straight ahead and right for M5N and right for M5S. Likewise going down the hill left and straight over arrows in left hand lane, right arrow only for st peters in right hand lane.MrWXYZ

I'm going to reiterate what others have said here. Accidents on this particular roundabout, as any, are due to driver error and people being too impatient, wanting to save those precious couple of seconds. A petition to change it really isn't necessary. Do we really want more of our hard-earned cash spent on something that just needs to be used properly with a bit of common-sense?! Mind you, Ms Ventura hasn't had any publicity for a short time so I guess we'll soon be seeing another photo of her with her waste of time petition in the Worcester News.

I'm going to reiterate what others have said here. Accidents on this particular roundabout, as any, are due to driver error and people being too impatient, wanting to save those precious couple of seconds. A petition to change it really isn't necessary. Do we really want more of our hard-earned cash spent on something that just needs to be used properly with a bit of common-sense?! Mind you, Ms Ventura hasn't had any publicity for a short time so I guess we'll soon be seeing another photo of her with her waste of time petition in the Worcester News.nicki1967

nicki1967 wrote:
I'm going to reiterate what others have said here. Accidents on this particular roundabout, as any, are due to driver error and people being too impatient, wanting to save those precious couple of seconds. A petition to change it really isn't necessary. Do we really want more of our hard-earned cash spent on something that just needs to be used properly with a bit of common-sense?! Mind you, Ms Ventura hasn't had any publicity for a short time so I guess we'll soon be seeing another photo of her with her waste of time petition in the Worcester News.

Agree with your first couple of sentences, but as for the rest, Lisa does some great work for the commutity, and is an active fundraiser and charity. I wish I had her get up and go. But back to the road, if the city builds something that muppets can abuse, they will do just that.

[quote][p][bold]nicki1967[/bold] wrote:
I'm going to reiterate what others have said here. Accidents on this particular roundabout, as any, are due to driver error and people being too impatient, wanting to save those precious couple of seconds. A petition to change it really isn't necessary. Do we really want more of our hard-earned cash spent on something that just needs to be used properly with a bit of common-sense?! Mind you, Ms Ventura hasn't had any publicity for a short time so I guess we'll soon be seeing another photo of her with her waste of time petition in the Worcester News.[/p][/quote]Agree with your first couple of sentences, but as for the rest, Lisa does some great work for the commutity, and is an active fundraiser and charity. I wish I had her get up and go. But back to the road, if the city builds something that muppets can abuse, they will do just that.Dirty-Belcher

nicki1967 wrote:
I'm going to reiterate what others have said here. Accidents on this particular roundabout, as any, are due to driver error and people being too impatient, wanting to save those precious couple of seconds. A petition to change it really isn't necessary. Do we really want more of our hard-earned cash spent on something that just needs to be used properly with a bit of common-sense?! Mind you, Ms Ventura hasn't had any publicity for a short time so I guess we'll soon be seeing another photo of her with her waste of time petition in the Worcester News.

Agree with your first couple of sentences, but as for the rest, Lisa does some great work for the commutity, and is an active fundraiser and charity. I wish I had her get up and go. But back to the road, if the city builds something that muppets can abuse, they will do just that.

"commutity"? A slip of Freudian proportions... :-)

[quote][p][bold]Dirty-Belcher[/bold] wrote:
[quote][p][bold]nicki1967[/bold] wrote:
I'm going to reiterate what others have said here. Accidents on this particular roundabout, as any, are due to driver error and people being too impatient, wanting to save those precious couple of seconds. A petition to change it really isn't necessary. Do we really want more of our hard-earned cash spent on something that just needs to be used properly with a bit of common-sense?! Mind you, Ms Ventura hasn't had any publicity for a short time so I guess we'll soon be seeing another photo of her with her waste of time petition in the Worcester News.[/p][/quote]Agree with your first couple of sentences, but as for the rest, Lisa does some great work for the commutity, and is an active fundraiser and charity. I wish I had her get up and go. But back to the road, if the city builds something that muppets can abuse, they will do just that.[/p][/quote]"commutity"? A slip of Freudian proportions... :-)CJH

This problem won't go away as if turning left from the M5 towards Malvern the only safe way to navigate that junction is to go to the roundabout and turn left. Look at the road markings, yes you have to then be aware of drivers who ignore the give way lines on the slip road and cut in front of you as you leave the roundabout but that is manageable.
If instead you use the slip road and correctly stop at the give way line for traffic leaving the roundabout you need to brace for impact as the odds are the driver behind will go in to you as he is looking over his shoulder.
THAT IS THE PROBLEM.
This danger has been caused by the idiotic road layout and until it is fixed all we can do is mitigate the risk by not sitting on that slip road at the give way lines in a position of danger - not only does that reduce the personal injury risk but also saves money, it's only a matter of time before insurance companies see the claims in the WR5 area and increase premiums accordingly.

This problem won't go away as if turning left from the M5 towards Malvern the only safe way to navigate that junction is to go to the roundabout and turn left. Look at the road markings, yes you have to then be aware of drivers who ignore the give way lines on the slip road and cut in front of you as you leave the roundabout but that is manageable.
If instead you use the slip road and correctly stop at the give way line for traffic leaving the roundabout you need to brace for impact as the odds are the driver behind will go in to you as he is looking over his shoulder.
THAT IS THE PROBLEM.
This danger has been caused by the idiotic road layout and until it is fixed all we can do is mitigate the risk by not sitting on that slip road at the give way lines in a position of danger - not only does that reduce the personal injury risk but also saves money, it's only a matter of time before insurance companies see the claims in the WR5 area and increase premiums accordingly.uptonX